Robert Hesse
Robert Hesse was a contestant on Season 5 and Season 6 of Hell's Kitchen. On season 5, he ranked in 5th place, and on season 6, he ranked in 10th place. Personality Robert showed an upbeat and light hearted personality, but knew when to be serious in the kitchen. He was a confident member of the blue team throughout his two tenures at Hell's Kitchen. He was liked by the other contestants and seemed to get along with everyone outside the kitchen. He was a strong cook despite some mistakes early on, and had the potential to win season 5, if it was not for a medical problem very late in the competition. On season 6, he was invited back for a second chance, but was unable to repeat the success he had on his previous run, becoming more inconsistent and suffering another health problem. He also had a running feud with fellow teammate Andy. Season 5 Episode 1 During the Signature Dish Challenge, Robert was the fourth person to have his dish judged by Ramsay. He made a potato and white truffle wrapped Chilean sea bass, which upon first look, Ramsay called it a "camel hoof". Although Ramsey said that the bass was cooked nicely, he said that the sauce was "absolutely disgusting" and that the dish was clumsy, like himself, for having a big portion. When the teams were lined up, the men revealed their new team name, the "Blues Brothers". During dinner service, Robert was on the appetizer station with Ben. He got called out for yelling over Ramsay's order, and after being forced to call the rest of the ticket, Ramsay threatened to put him in a hot boiling bath if he would do that again. His first order of spaghetti came out raw. During the power outage, he warned Danny to keep his mouth shut and never argue with Ramsay again. After the power came back on, he and Ben were able to get their appetizers out. When he saw Wil struggling on the garnish station, he went to his help. The blue team lost the dinner service because of Giovanni's poor performance as a waiter. Robert was not nominated for elimination, and when Ramsay asked for his opinion about the two nominees, he declared that he would be willing to come up in place of Wil, but that he was respecting the fact that Wil nominated himself. Episode 2 During the Scallop Cleaning Challenge, Robert had five of his scallops accepted by Ramsay. His team won the challenge 36-35, and was rewarded with a helicopter tour of Catalina Island along with a submarine ride. Unfortunately, Robert could not take part in the helicopter trip because of his weight, so he took the ferry and joined his team later. However, by the time he arrived, the reward was already over, which dismayed him as he lost out on the fun. During dinner service, Robert was the raw bar server for his team. His amiability impressed Jean-Philippe and the customers. He even explained the tattoo on his left arm to some customers. His team was declared the winners. At elimination, Robert participated in the emotional standing ovation given to Ji because of her departure, along with his teammates and the red team. Episode 3 During the Meat & Cow Challenge, Robert was the third person on his team to attempt the second half of the challenge, but got six incorrect answers. Fortunately, his team eventually won the challenge, and were rewarded with a private jet trip to Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, California, where they had a wine tasting and a steak dinner with Ramsay. Before leaving, he showed the red team his wedding shoes, and revealed that he gave up his wedding, which was supposed to happen the following day, to be in Hell’s Kitchen. The red team joked with him about doing a bachelor party for him, while telling him he was looking nice. During the reward, he called the experience the best day of his life. Before dinner service, Robert's teammates decided to honor their service for him and his fiancé, as that night would have been his wedding day. During the Steakhouse double service, Robert was on the meat station with Giovanni for the first seating. When one of their steaks was sent back for being raw, Ramsay called him and Giovanni down to touch it. After the first seating, Robert was extremely upset since he felt he embarrassed himself, his fiancé, and his family that night due to the blue team's poor performance. During the second seating, during which he was a waiter, he was not seen much. His team eventually lost the service. He was not nominated for elimination. Episode 4 Back in the dorms, Robert entertained his fellow chefs with his impersonation of Ramsay. His antics cracked everyone up, and Andrea thought he did a great job. During the Football Team & Cheerleaders Breakfast Service Challenge, Robert was on the hash brown station with J. At one point, Ramsay chewed both of them out when J served poorly made hash browns. His team lost the challenge, and were punished by cleaning up the dining room, both kitchens, and prep them for that night’s service. During the punishment, Robert told Danny that he did not like how Ben argued with him, and the two of them agreed to take the chance of getting Ben out. He would later tell Giovanni about his plan, which he agreed with. During dinner service, Robert was on the dessert station. He was not seen much as Ramsay closed down service before the blue team got to desserts. Both teams lost the dinner service, and were asked to nominate two members each. Robert was not nominated for elimination. Afterwards, he and his team welcomed Lacey as a new teammate, not being very happy about it. Episode 5 Back in the dorms, Robert tried to play nice with his new teammate Lacey, but knew that she was cancerous for the blue team. During the Asian Fusion Challenge, Robert was paired with Danny on the poultry dish. They served a pad thai bbq chicken, and both judges praised it for the seasoning and the southern inspiration, and won the round. Despite that, the blue team lost the challenge 1-2, and were forced to make fortune cookies and fold origami for the next night's service. During dinner service, Robert was on the fish station. When Ramsay called him "Bobby", that struck a nerve in him and he refused to cooperate by tossing a good order of John Dory out. He then gave a halfhearted explanation for his actions, causing Ramsay to pull him into the pantry room, and ordering him to concentrate, while accusing him of giving up. Robert admitted it took a lot of effort not to lash out at Ramsay, and proceeded to moon the confessional camera, while telling Ramsay to kiss his ass. After service, both teams were declared losers, and Giovanni was named "Best of the Worst" for the blue team. During a private meeting in Ramsay's office, Robert told him that "Bobby" was his abusive father's name, and that he had a terrible childhood. Ramsay apologized to him and said he will respect his request by never calling him "Bobby" again. Robert was not nominated for elimination, leading Ramsay to question that decision. Moments later, Ramsay told him to wake up. Episode 6 During the Bar Mitzvah Tasting Challenge, Robert wanted to make the burger dish for the blue team. His dish was a Kobe beef burger, and it clinched the victory for the blue team 2-1. They were rewarded with a spa day at the Skin Haven spa. During the Bar Mitzvah dinner service, Robert was on the garnish station. He was not seen much, but found it funny when Ramsay constantly asked Lacey for the beef as it reminded him of an old Wendy's commercial. The blue team won the service. Episode 7 Before the Tapas Leftovers Challenge, Robert and the blue team said goodbye to Giovanni, who has just been transferred to the red team. During the challenge, he made a peppered pasta with pan seared lamb loin which, while Ramsay said it looked too big for a tapa dish, the flavours were spot on. He scored over Carol, but despite that, the blue team lost the challenge 2-3. They had to prep both kitchens for that night's service and polish the tapa plates. During the punishment, he called out Lacey for both her mistakes during prep and for her attitude, while adding on that he wanted her gone. During dinner service, Robert was on the desserts station. After J's elimination, he was moved to the fish station. He was not seen much during that service, which the blue team lost. Each member of the team was asked to nominate one person for elimination. Back in the dorms, Robert chewed Lacey out for her earlier threat to quit, and stated that if Lacey would win the competition, he would quit as a chef an become a crack whore. Robert voted for Lacey, and received one vote from her. He survived elimination because Ben was called down instead of him. Episode 8 Back in the dorms, Robert told Lacey that she should be learning from people with more experience like himself, instead of fighting with them like she did with the red team. During the Blind Taste Test, Robert was the second person to participate, but failed to guess all four of his ingredients. At some point, he was even shouting out random guesses, much to the amusement of the other chefs. His team lost the challenge 7-8, and were forced to serve lunch to the red team and prep both kitchens for that night’s service, much to his dismay as it was the third time he had to do so. During dinner service, Robert was on the appetizer station. He served too much spaghetti for one order and Ramsay reminded him that he was not cooking for himself. Ben was sent over to help him out, and it was because of him that his appetizers were sent out. Later, he pushed the appetizers out by himself without stopping, even when his pants ripped. When Lacey got eliminated mid-service, he was very unresponsive to her farewells, saying she sucks and was glad that she was gone. After her departure, he was relocated to the fish station, and the rest of the team managed to catch up on lost time, while demonstrating the best teamwork since the beginning of the season. The blue team won the service by a mile over the red team. Episode 9 During the King Crab Challenge, Robert's dish was unknown, but his team won the challenge and went on a day trip to the Santa Monica State Beach with Ramsay for lunch and a Segway ride. He was unable to participate on the Segway run due to his weight, so he had to ride a bicycle. Before dinner service, both teams were asked to come up with their own menus. During the menu designing, Robert, along with Danny, was annoyed by Ben's "pomme fondant" dish, and stated he did not want to hear those two words anymore in his entire life. During dinner service, Robert was on the meat and fish stations. Due to being on two stations for the entrées, he forgot an order of halibut and needed three more minutes to cook it, causing Ramsay to urge him not to give up. His filets were uneven in size due to Ben poorly slicing them, and got into an argument with him over the desserts. After a disastrous dinner service from both sides, the blue team were declared losers after only 39% of their diners rated the food above average, compared to the red team's 54%. Danny was named "Best of the Worst". Robert was not nominated by Danny, but eventually joined Ben after being nominated by Ramsay. He survived elimination as Ramsay decided to eliminate Carol from the winning team. Episode 10 The next morning, before Ramsay announced the next challenge, the remaining six contestants were merged into one team, the black one, and all of them received their black jackets. During the 14 Ingredients Challenge, Robert made a chicken catchatori with deep fried capers, which was deemed a little dry but still flavorable. He did not win the challenge, but was chosen by Ben to go on the reward with him. They went on a private jet trip to San Francisco with Ramsay, and took a private trolley tour around the city. Then, all three of them ate lunch at the One Market restaurant, at the chefs table. During dinner service, Robert was on the fish station. His first order of scallops were overcooked and rubbery as the scallops were smaller than normal. Then, he was caught cooking bacon and John Dory in the same pan, which caused Ramsay to chew him out as it could lead to someone having an allergic reaction. He later tried to help Giovanni out on the Wellingtons, but suffered a second-degree burn for touching an uncovered hot pan in the fridge. After service was shut down, Paula was named "Best of the Worst". Robert was not nominated, and after elimination, Ramsay announced he was shutting down Hell's Kitchen. Then, the episode ended in a cliffhanger. Episode 11 Continuing from the previous episode, Ramsay revealed that he was not shutting down Hell's Kitchen permanently and that he was sending the final five to Atlantic City, much to their relief. The contestants were flown to the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for a multi-day trip to see their potential future place of employment. After touring the hotel, they sat down for dinner, with the Borgata Hotel's VP of Food and Beverage Nicholas Kurban and Executive Chef Ron Ross, and got a chance to speak with them. Ten minutes into dinner, Robert left the table to another room, complaining of chest pain. When he saw a medic, she told him his blood pressure was elevating, and that he should go to the hospital. At the hospital, he called Ben to inform him where he was and give him news on his status. A few days later, Robert returned to Hell's Kitchen. Unfortunately, he revealed that he was diagnosed with pericarditis, and announced he would be leaving Hell's Kitchen to take care of his health. After he gave his farewells to the final four by hugging them, Ramsay praised him for being a fantastic competitor, while adding that he had the potential to win the competition. He gave his jacket to Ramsay and left, while his fellow teammates gave him a standing ovation. During his exit interview, he received a retrospective montage of his run. Ramsay gave no comment on Robert's departure, and he received the burning picture sequence at the end of the episode. Nomination History Season 6 Episode 1 Robert was invited as a special guest for the opening night, along with his wife. When he arrived, service already began and he went to the hot plate to greet Ramsay, who told to have a seat with his wife and enjoy themselves. After service, Ramsay went to speak with him at his table and told him it was bloody good to see him. After Ramsay recalled that he lost the opportunity during the previous season because of his health, he was invited by him to come back in Hell's Kitchen for another chance to win the competition. He was blown away by the offer and accepted it, with Ramsay stating he deserved it because he was a bloody talented cook. While saying goodbye to his wife, he declared his plan was to win Hell's Kitchen. When both teams were lined up, Robert joined the blue team, and Ramsay introduced him to the other chefs and welcomed him, stating he came back for a second chance after leaving for medical reasons the previous season. Then, Ramsay declared the blue team winners for serving any entrées out, compared to the red team's zero. At elimination, after Melinda left, Robert was sent to the red team as Ramsay made a decision to strengthen the teams. After he joined the red team, Ramsay reminded him that even though he was a hero on the previous season, he would be treated like everybody else that season. Episode 2 While being dismissed, Robert was very excited to be brought back in the competition, declaring he would lead his team to victory or die trying. Then, he gave some tips to the women on how to properly cook the food, with Lovely even comparing to an angel coming down from Heaven. He also acknowledged the red team was seeing him as the one who would save the day, and declared that statement was true. The next morning, both teams got down in the blue kitchen, where Ramsay introduced the Shrimp Cleaning Challenge. When Tennille got her shrimps judged, Robert questioned her judgment by referring to the fact that she was wearing glasses, so she could see what she was doing. He was the last person from the red team to have his shrimps judged by Ramsay, and he was confident, but his performance was disappointing as only 4 of his shrimps were accepted, and Ramsay declared he was expecting more of him. The red team lost the challenge 44-45, and they were punished by cleaning shrimps and segmenting lemons, removing every seed from all of them, all day long, for a shrimp cocktail during the next dinner service. The next day, during prep, Robert emerged as a leader on the red team, giving specific instructions on how to prep some type of food, which the women really appreciated as they were trusting him. During dinner service, Robert was on the appetizer station with Suzanne. Before tickets came in the kitchen, he rallied the women and told them to communicate well. He was confident making his first risotto as it was his second appearance on the show, but Ramsay told him he put rice over burnt shallots. He blamed that mistake on the fact he was a little bit anxious, and acknowledged he had to turn the oven on before cooking. Ramsay pulled him to the side and asked him why he did that mistake, but he did not give any excuses. Then, he got back to his station, and a minor fire erupted in one of his pans, discouraging Ramsay, who told him he was doing terrible at the moment despite having done well on the previous season, and Suzanne gave him some encouragement. After a lot of struggle in both kitchens, Ramsay ordered both teams to send shrimp cocktails to the dining room, and shut down both kitchens. When both teams were lined up, Ramsay named both teams losers, and asked them to nominate two people each. During deliberation, Robert reminded Tennille she served raw shrimp to a pregnant woman, after she denied her poor performance in the dining room. Later, an argument erupted between Van and Jim from the blue team, and he calmed down Van after he left his team's discussion. Robert was not nominated for elimination, and tried to calm down Joseph who was having his infamous outburst, by saying Ramsay was trying to get the best out of him and that he should not take it personally. Episode 3 After Joseph's departure and Tony's elimination, Robert was sent to the blue team, where he belonged, as they were two men down. His team lost the Firefighters Pasta Meal Challenge. The blue team won the dinner service. Episode 4 During the Sausage Strings Challenge, Robert was paired with Jim, and was the only pair not to produce a single string of sausages. The blue team lost the challenge 4-6, and were punished by cleaning the dorms. During the punishment, not only did it take a mental toll on Robert as this was his third challenge loss in a row, but when Kevin complained how about they had a bunch of executive chefs on their team (Andy, Dave, Kevin and Robert), Robert (who is now an executive chef) angrily berated him for saying that. When Scott told him to keep focusing on the competition, Robert broke his broom in a fit of immense anger reminding everybody that he almost died for the competition on the previous season. During dinner service, Robert was on the appetizer station. Although he did well, Ramsay was not impressed by his shouting. When each side had three entrées tickets remaining, it became a race for the finish. The men won after serving all their entrées in a close finish. Episode 5 During the Staff Sergeant's Return Planning Challenge, Robert was the leader of the blue team and was asked by the wife to produce one appetizer and two entrées to be served during the next dinner service. The whole team was working very well under Robert's leadership. He led his team to a 2-1 victory over the red team. The blue team won the Staff Sergeant's Return from Iraq dinner service by a mile over the red team, and were asked to come and help them in the red kitchen. Episode 6 His team lost the 700 Calories 3 Course Meal Challenge. During the punishment, when the men had to get ingredients on a Conference Bike, Robert started to get short of breath and dizzy. He was taken to the hospital and did not participate in that night's dinner service. When the blue team tried to nominate him because he was not there during dinner service, Ramsay reminded them it would be unfair to nominate him for that reason. But, he added that if Robert does not come back for the next episode's dinner service, he will be automatically eliminated. Episode 7 Robert came back just in time for dinner service, though it was not a hero's welcome. During dinner service, he sent raw rabbit, which made Ramsay shut down both kitchens. The blue team was declared the losers, and Dave was named "Best of the Worst". Before elimination, Robert went into a heated argument with Andy, calling him a "cock sucker". He was Dave's first nominee for elimination, with Van being the second. He was eventually joined by Andy, and argued with him during his plea. Ramsay eliminated Robert for failing to live up to his great run on the previous season and for serving raw rabbit despite him having more Hell's Kitchen services than anybody else. Before he left, Ramsay told Robert he could not wait to see him again. Robert received a retrospective montage of his run during his exit interview. Ramsay's comment: "Robert's closing plea was quite entertaining, but I'm not looking for a performer. I'm looking for a Head Chef, and Robert's not that guy." Episode 15 Robert came back for the last dinner service of the season, because Andy did not. He was Dave's second pick, after Ariel and before Suzanne. During service, he tried to sabotage his team, without success, as Dave eventually won the finals over Kevin. Trivia Season 5 *He is the third contestant to withdraw from the competition for health reasons, following Larry from Season 2, and Aaron from Season 3. He is also the first black jacket contestant to withdraw. *He did not come back for the last dinner service of the season as supposed to because of his illness, so Lacey took his place. This made him the first black jacket contestant to not perform in the final service. *After his first appearance on the show, he married, lost 55 pounds, and underwent gastric bypass surgery. He also upgraded to the Executive Chef position, before returning to Hell's Kitchen on the following season, a year later. Season 6 *He is the first contestant ever to compete in two different seasons. *He is the only contestant to this date who joined the competition without being part of the season's initial line-up of contestants. *He holds the record for the least amount of services with one team before being transferred to the other, with one. *He is the only male contestant since Season 2 who began his run with the red team. *He is the only contestant to this date who received two retrospective montages after being eliminated, and the second who received one without making it to the black jackets, after Rachel from Season 2. Quotes Season 5 *"Well, what the hell did I win? A free fucking ferry ride?" *"You ain't a man 'til you use the loofa, straight up!" *"Where's the beef, where's the beef! I'm like looking for the old lady from the Wendy's commercials, man." *(To Lacey): "I swear to god, if you win this, I will hang up my coat and become a crack whore, dude." *"I'm so sick of Lacey, I'm about to use a Jedi mind trick and just chock the shit out of that bitch mentally." *(To J): "J, you're my friend and I like you a lot, but today you fucking suck, man." *"J just lost his shit man." *(On Lacey's poor performance): "Can't handle the heat, get out the kit-CHEN!!" *(After Lacey's mid-service elimination) "There's a small violin, just for Lacey... (fart noise) she sucks, adios, biyatch!" Season 6 *"I have a second chance! You know, you don't get many second chances in life!" *"Baby I'm back, you know what I'm sayin'? And I'm planning on winning Hell's Kitchen!" *"Fat boy with a dream is back, yeah! I'm gonna lead my team to victory, or I'm gonna die trying! I'll blow it up!" *(To Joseph): "He's trying to bring the best out of you, you gotta look passed this." *"I don't give a shit if I'm on the black team, the purple team, the pink team, the team with no shirts on... I don't give a damn, I'm here to win Hell's Kitchen!" *"Big daddy's back!" *(to Andy on sending the cut of meat to the pass): "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SEND THAT SHIT!" *(About Andy): "I'm disgusted that I even share the same stage with this guy right here." *(to Andy): "If you win Hell's Kitchen, I'll fucking hang up my fucking chefs clothes for life!" Gallery Robert_on_Season_6.jpg|Robert on Season 6 Category:Chef Category:Season 5 Category:Season 6 Category:Funniest Contestants Category:Black Jacket Category:Medical Exit